Cuiabá Held to Draw in Copa Verde Debut with Under-20 Side, Extending Winless Run to Six Games; Kenzo Hamazaki Shines
It was a night of reunions and challenges at the Arena Pantanal. On their Copa Verde debut, Cuiabá Esporte Clube let victory slip through their fingers in the final minutes, settling for a 1-1 draw against Tocantinópolis. This bitter result adds to a worrying trend for Cuiabá fans: it’s now six games without a win.
To be fair, the manager sent out a side that looked very different from the usual line-up. With one eye on a packed fixture list and another on nurturing young talent, Dourado took to the pitch with a blend of experience and youngsters from the Cuiabá Esporte Clube Under-20 side. And, honestly, the kids didn’t let the occasion get to them. Quite the opposite – they showed that fresh blood isn’t intimidated by the big stage.
The first half was a scrappy affair, as you’d expect from an opening game. Cuiabá tried to set the pace, but kept running into a stubborn visiting defence. The goal, when it finally came, was from one of the youngsters who really caught my eye. When the ball fell to him on the edge of the box, attacking midfielder Kenzo Hamazaki, just 18 years old, didn’t hesitate. He unleashed a rocket into the bottom-right corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. Even with a smaller crowd, the Arena Pantanal erupted as if it were a title decider. In that moment, with the young players mobbing Kenzo, you could see exactly what Cuiabá are trying to build.
But that lead turned out to be a bitter pill. The side dropped a little too deep in the second half, and Tocantinópolis, with nothing to lose, threw everything at them. With ten minutes to go, after a scramble in the area that no one could clear properly, the ball fell kindly for them to level it. 1-1 on the scoreboard, and a sense that two points had slipped away.
Academy shows promise, but the 'streetwise' edge is missing
I'll be honest with you: watching the game, you can split the analysis into two parts. On one side, there was courage. Players like Kenzo Hamazaki showed real character. He didn’t hide, he wanted the ball in the difficult moments and played the passes that allowed the team to breathe. He’s the kind of gem Cuiabá fans love to see blossom.
On the other hand, they lacked that bit of experience, that 'streetwise' savvy of a top side to see the result through. Holding onto a lead for 45 minutes requires knowing when to slow the tempo, when to take a tactical foul, or how to see out time in the corner. These are things that come with games under your belt – things this young squad is still learning the hard way.
- Possession was even: Cuiabá had a slender 52% possession, but lacked penetration in the final third.
- Individual standout: Kenzo Hamazaki was the engine of the team, involved in most of their attacking moves.
- Negative streak: This marks Cuiabá’s sixth consecutive game without a win, a statistic that raises a red flag for the competitions ahead.
Now, it's about taking the lessons from this draw and flipping the script. The Copa Verde is still in its early stages, and qualification is far from a problem. But the pressure to get a win, to restore confidence in the squad and the fans, is only growing. They can't afford any slip-ups in their next fixture. Cuiabá need to show that, whether with the experience of the veterans or the hunger of the Under-20 kids, the weight of the shirt works for them, not against them.
And a message to the fans: these lads deserve your support. Kenzo and the academy boys have shown they have star quality. Now they need to mature quickly, because in Brazilian football, time is a luxury no one has.